Pull

I only have a few short months to do new things in my 365 days, so this week I did something that I had never done before--trap shooting. While I have done target shooting, I have never shot at a moving target (except that one time . . . just kidding). I have to admit it is a pretty good time, and this is what I have to show for it ---------------------------------->

I hit a total of three. Don't judge me. I don't normally shoot at moving targets. I really wanted to jump up and down and do a little jig, but jumping up and down with a gun in your hand probably isn't a good idea. Plus, making noise sets off the pigeons.

Thanks to my friend, I have something new to add to my list of firsts, I got to hang with some pretty cool old guys (and let's just be honest, old men love me), and I also ran into a long time family friend all at the same time!

While I may have only hit three this time. I am gonna shoot (pun intended) for ten next time.

Ready? Pull . . .

You've always been there for me

You've always been there for me. Thank you.

Those eight words don't look like much, but I can't tell you how much they mean to me. I have waited years and years and years to hear them. They finally came. I cannot begin to tell you what all I have done to earn those words--you'd probably gasp at the thought if I did. However, that's not the point. The point is that those eight little words finally mean that maybe he gets it. Maybe, just maybe, he finally sees.

When was the last time you said those words? Do the people who are always there for you know that YOU know? Sometimes these words can be hard to say. They can be hard to type. They can be hard to write. But, they do need to be said. They just do. I can just about guarantee you that you probably don't know just how much it means to someone else to hear you say them--maybe you do.

I try to use them often. Sometimes I fail.

This week. I heard them. I finally heard them and those eight words have never sounded so sweet.

My Roots, My Family, My Thanks

I am not really sure why I feel it necessary to say this right now, but I do, so I will. I have been sitting and watching a show on tv about Appalachia--specifically about Kentucky. Ironically they were talking about a part of the country where my family comes from. People in this area face a lot of hardships of all kinds, but that's not the point of this blog.  While I have never lived in Kentucky, that is where I am from--where my family is from.

My father is from Kentucky and my mother is from southern Indiana. Neither of my parents grew up having a lot, and they would probably hate me for broadcasting that to the world, but you have to understand the context to get the text. While I was watching this show today I had an uncanny need to call my parents and tell them thank you.  That's just what I did.

I try to say thank you a lot, but sometimes people just need to know how much you appreciate them. You see, since my parents never had a lot they made sure that my brother, sister, and I had everything we could ever want, need, desire, etc growing up. As a kid there was never anything that I wanted that I didn't get. There was never any place that I wanted to go that I never went. My parents didn't want our lives to be like their lives, so they gave us everything they possibly could. How? Hard work. Lots and lots of hard work.

People often ask me why I work so hard, why I work every hour that I can, why I never rest. You know why? Because I have seen what hard work does. I have seen what hard work gets you. I NEVER would be where I am had it not been for my parents. So, while my roots are deep in a place that is laden with difficulty, and my family comes from places that weren't always full of opportunities, I have learned to be who I am because of my parents. I have learned to be who I am--to be somebody because of where they came from, what they did.

Why do I need to say this? Because I know that my roots run deep, my family is priceless, and they deserve my thanks!



*And it just so happens that this need to tell them thank you happened on their anniversary :)